Rights to Anaheim Team Sold

Four Arizona businessmen pocketed a healthy profit last week by selling the franchise rights for a proposed Anaheim minor league basketball team--in a league that has yet to play a game.

“We think Anaheim is a premier market,” said Gary Elbogen, one of the businessmen. “We weren’t going to walk away for nothing. This is a for-profit venture for all of us.”

Elbogen and his associates still own three other franchises in ABA 2000, a revival of the American Basketball Assn. that hopes to begin play in November.

Al Howell, a Canadian sports broker, said he was a new minority owner of the Anaheim franchise, but he and Elbogen declined to identify the new majority owners or specify the purchase price.

Howell said the team hopes to play at the Arrowhead Pond, although no agreement has been reached. He also said he and his partners had no problem paying a premium beyond the league franchise fee to join a league that has yet to sell a ticket.

“If this league is going to be successful, I wanted to be involved in the city that I believe has the greatest chance of success,” Howell said. “We believe the Pond is the best building in the country to have as a facility.”

Elbogen’s group retains franchise rights in San Jose, Kansas City and Tampa. The league also plans to operate in Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Buffalo and Long Island (N.Y.), with groups from San Diego, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Columbus, Ohio, under consideration for two remaining franchises.